Friday, April 18, 2014

British TV comedy is arguably the world's finest, and Steve Coogan's beloved creation Alan Partridge is, arguably, the most fully realized comic character of the past decade. After appearing in a supporting role as a sports presenter on Chris Morris' peerless news satire The Day Today in the mid-90's, then in radio and TV versions of his own mock "chat" show Knowing Me, Knowing You, Coogan brought the character to life for two seasons of the more traditional (yet still gut-bustingly funny) situation comedy, I'm Alan Partridge. After a few years hiatus, Fosters' brewing sponsored Mid Morning Matters, featuring eight 15-minute episodes featuring Alan "in studio" at the North Norfolk Digital radio station, doing his thing. After a somewhat turbulent experience shooting the second series of I'm Alan Partridge, making the more streamlined Mid Morning Matters proved to be a delight, spurring Coogan and collaborator Armando Ianucci to finally write and produce that long-form Alan Partridge movie they'd been promising for years. It's called Alpha Papa in the UK, and Alan Partridge in the USA. If you have yet to enter the world of Alan Partridge, I suggest starting with Mid Morning Matters before moving on to the rest of the oeuvre, ALL of which is worth perusing. Enjoy!